At one point during the excellent Bon Iver gig at Radio City on Tuesday, Justin mentioned this was their last US gigs of the tour (they have a couple more in Europe set up) and they expect it will be some time before we see them again.
Apparently, the some time was more serious than we though, as a coupla days later Justin Vernon told Minnesota Public Radio the end of Bon Iver is nigh: "Winding it down. I look at it like a faucet. I have to turn it off and walk away from it because so much of how that music comes together is subconscious or discovering. There’s so much attention on the band, it can be distracting at times. I really feel the need to walk away from it while I still care about it. And then if I come back to it – if at all – I'll feel better about it and be renewed or something to do that."
Hmmm, so that makes both James Murphy and Justin vernon who have chosen to off what are essentially one man band. To translate Justin's words for you: success is distracting.
I guess he has a point but I am old fashioned, in a consumer society he who gets consumed most, wins.